Countries' eligibility for support from the QSP Trust Fund
General guidance on eligibility
Developing countries and countries with economies in transition are eligible for support from the trust fund. Approval of projects will take into account geographic and sectoral balance and pay particular attention to urgent the needs and requirements of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. Proposals may be presented by SAICM participating Governments that have given appropriate formal recognition to SAICM, at a minimum by having designated an official SAICM national focal point. On an exceptional basis, and having regard to resources and administrative capacity available, representatives of civil society networks participating in SAICM may also present project proposals, subject to endorsement of the application by the SAICM national focal point in the countries hosting the projects.
Initially, according to the guidance of the QSP Executive Board, over the lifetime of the QSP trust fund, each country was eligible to participate in:
- one Government national project,
- one Government multi-country and/or
- one civil society project.
Projects in the different categories should not duplicate each other and support is subject to the availability of sufficient resources in the trust fund and the need for equitable access among eligible countries.
According to the current eligibility rules countries which had already used their current quota of projects can apply for additional projects, on the understanding that priority should be given to applications from countries that had not yet used their current quotas as decided by the QSP Executive Board at its fifth meeting held on 29 and 30 June 2010 in Geneva. The Board revisited the quota system and warranted greater flexibility “in the light of the number of countries which had already benefited from QSP trust fund projects, the slowing rate of applications from the remaining eligible countries and the interest of many countries in undertaking additional projects".
Criteria as adopted by the Board at its third meeting will continue to apply by the QSP Trust Fund Implementation Committee when appraising the QSP trust fund projects. The QSP Trust Fund Implementation Committee should:
- give priority to countries which have not previously had support from the QSP trust fund;
- take into account whether there had been satisfactory progress reports on earlier projects involving repeat countries;
- avoid duplication of projects and ensure coverage of different QSP strategic priorities;
- avoid an excessive allocation of resources to individual countries; and
- observe the usual requirements for geographical and sectoral balance.
List of countries and eligibility
The list of countries reflects the secretariat's assessment of eligibility based on the policy guidance of the QSP Executive Board. Confirmation of eligibility and approval of projects are decided by the QSP Trust Fund Implementation Committee.